Tray



March 15, 1927, 1,620,751

v K. w. BARTLETT TRAY Filed May 6, 1926 .2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1,620,75l March l5 1927' K. w. BARTLETT TRAY Filed May 6, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 as is employed PATENT OFFICE.

KENT W. BARTLETT, 0F HAMMOND, INDIANA.

TRAY.

Application led Hay 6,

My invention relates to liquid receiving trays and to distilling apparatus or casing equipment employing the saine. y

In distilling a paratus such, or'example,

En' distilling oils, liquid receiving trays are employed that are disposed at different levels within casings upwardly I through which the distillate vapors or gases are passed under,pressure, the parts of dis- 10 tillation of dii'erent grades or weights being separated and collected in the trays and at the bottom of the casing from whence they are withdrawn. Hitherto, these trays have been formed each in one piece rendering it difficult to assemble them within the casing and'to remove them .in repairing the casing equipment. I obviate this difiiculty, due tothe previous construction of the trays, by forming each tray in sections, the opening in the bottom of the tray through which the distillate vapors orl gases rise intervening between the sections of the tray, the tray sections having opposed face portions in fluid-tight assembly and terminating at said 5 openings. By having the opening through vas which the gas passes intervening between the tray sections, the difliculty in assembling the tray sections in Huid-tight relation is reduced to a minimum.

In equipment of this character, a cap is employed in connection with each tray, this cap overlying the wall which margins the opening in the tray through which the gas passes and which wall extends above the tray bottom to separate the opening and the liquid receiving' space of the tray. Such cap is ormed with a skirt surrounding the wall and projecting" into the liquid receiving space of the tray, the portion of the cap above the liquid receiving space being imperforate, there being spacing between the wall that margins the aforesaid o ening and the to and skirt vof the cap an below the imperlbrate portion of the cap that permits 5 gas to low from beneath the cap into the liquid upon the exterior of the cap. It frequently happens that the casingr which carries the tray within it is not in plumb which causes the level of the liquid t0 be below some portions o the cap skirtsv thereby p ermittin the gas to escape without passing throng the liquid in the trays. I obviate this difficulty by roviding means for tilting the caps with re erence to the trays so that no space for the escape of gee may intervene 1926. Serial No. 107,078.

between the upper levels of the liquid and the caps. As the casings may be out of plumb in more than one direction, the tilting means is preferably such that the ca s may be tilted with reference to the trays in either or both of two angular directions.

I have observed that the globules of gas have so hugged the skirts of the caps of prior construction as to prevent these gas globules from having as intimate contact with the liquid in the traysthrough which they pass as is desired for the most perfect action. To eliminate or reduce this defect, hitherto existing, I outwardly and laterally deflect the cap skirts where they are received in the liquid receiving spaces of the trays, the ca skirts being imperforate from the tops o the caps to the terminations of the deflected ortions of the cap skirts so that the globu es of gas, in rising through 4the liquid, are sufficiently spaced from the bodies of (gas seek the bottom portions of the skirts an the smaller globules of gas seek portions above the bottoms of the skirts. means, the larger globules of gas are given more extended travel through the liquid than the smaller globules of gas with resulting improvement in the process.

I will explain my 4invention more fully by reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a casing equipped with the preferred structure of my invention; Fig. 2 is a view in elevation and in sectional elevation of aportion of the casing and a ytray there disposed; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on -line 3 3 of Fig. 5; Fi 4 is a sectional view illustratin the ilow o the globules of gas from beneat the cap and throu h the surrounding iiuid; Fig. 5 is a sectioiia view on line 5-5 of Fig. 1, the caps being removedY from some of the ygas conveying openings in the tray shown in this Fig. 6 is a sectional view on By this I line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 5.

The distillate vapors or gases are admitted to the casing l through the inlet 2 at the bottom of the casing, the remnants of these gases or vapors after the 'condensing process Within the casing escaping from the casing at the outlet 3 at the top of the casing. Liquid receiving trays 4 are disposed Within the casing and upon ledges 5 spaced apart along the Casin at suitable intervals. Each tray is forme with one or more downwardly extending passages 6 which enter the condensate of the vapors escaping at 3. The

liquid passes from the trays at points diametrically opposite the places where the liquid is received by the trays. Each tray has its encompassing wall higher where the liquid is received, as indicated at 9, and lower where the liquid overflows from the tray into the passages 6, as indicated at 10. Each liquid passage 6 terminates at its upper end above the adjacent ledge and belowthe top of the liquid receiving space of the tray, the arrangement being such that a liqiud receiving pocket surrounds each tray, as indicated at 11, the limiting level of the liquid in this pocket being determined by the location of the upper end of the overfiow pasiis sages. Each tray has one or more gas passages 12 extending upwardly therethrough and separated from the llquid receiving space thereof. Each of these gas passages has a cap 13 above it which is shaped and positioned to compel the fiow of gas, under pressure, from this passage through the surrounding liquid in the tray and to thereafter permit the escape of gas from this liquid.

It is desirable to have fluid-tight engagement between each tray and its supporting led e to which end I provide each ledge wit a sealin gasket 14. However, if there should be lea tage space between a tray and its supporting ledge, a portion of the gas flowing upwardly through the casing will pass through this leakage space into the liquid within the ocket so as to be subjected to the condensing action of such liquid, the upward How of the gas through lthe pockets preventing the material descent of the liquid from thesev pockets. The provision 'of the pockets at 11,4 functioning as described, forms the subject matter of my copending application Serial No. 107,077, filed May 6, 1926.

Each tray is provided with walls 15 which margin the openings 12 passing through the bottom of the tray and which walls extend above the tray bottom to separate said openingsand the liquid receiving space of the tray.' Each trayA is desirably circular in contour and formed -in three sections. An opening 12 intervenes between each two adjacent sections and these adjacent sections have opposed face portions 16 in fluid-tight assembly, these opposed face portions of the tray sections terminating at the adjacent openings 12. The tray sections may be equipped with ianges 17 at the opposed face portions 16, these flanges being clamped t0- gether by means of bolts 18, packing material 19 "being desirably interposed between the opposed face portions of the tray sections to make the assembly between the tray sections perfectly iiuid-tight where these tray sections meet beyond the opening 12 therebetween. Each of the openings 12 is desirably elongated, this being especially true of such openings that intervene between the adjacent tray sections whereby the extent of the opposed face portions of the adjacent tra sections that are to be clamped in fluidtig t assembly is reduced toa minimum.

The cap 13, provided in conjunction with each opening 12, is formed with a skirt 20 which surrounds the wall 15 margining such opening. This skirt projects into the liquid receiving space, at 7, the portion of the cap above the liquid receiving space being imperforate, there being spacing between said wall 15 and the top and skirt of the cap and below the imperforate portion of the ca skirt that permits fiow of gas from beneatlri the cap into the liquid u on the exterior of the cap. Each ca is ears 21 at each end o the cap and on opposite sides of the cap. Threaded posts 22 pass freely through these ears, being held in adjusted positions by means ofthe nuts 23 on opposite sides of said ears whereby the dis tances between the caps and the bottoms of the trays may be regulated. The posts 22 and the nuts 23 constitute means whereby the caps may be tilted in either or both of two angular planes so that the imperforate portions of the ca skirts may extend below the upper levels o the bodies of liquid in the trays 1n case the trays do not occupy true horizontal positions, in the event t casings are out of lumb.

The skirt of eac cap, where received in the liquid receiving space of the correspondat the ing tray, 'is formed with a surrounding rim 24 which constitutes an outwardly and laterally deflected portion of the cap skirt, such cap' skirt being. imperforatefrom the top offthe cap to te termination of Said' rim or deflected portion '24.l Each cap ehrt is alsodesirably downwardly continued from the termination of the deflected portion 24 of the cap skirt, this downward 4continuation of the cap being serrated. The serrations are such that upwardly tapering gas discharging openings 25 are formed in the downward continuations of the cap skirts. These openings 25 terminato at the lateral deflection 24 of each cap skirt Wherehy the smaller globules` of gas are released at the deflected portions 2t, globules of increasing size being released in the lower portions of said openings. The Contact between the globules of gas and the cap skirt is thus reduced to a minimum while at the Same time permitting the larger globules to have more extended travel through the liquid than do the smaller globules whereby more thorough inter-action is permitted between the escaping gas and the liquid through which the gas passes.

Changes may be made without departing from the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim A tray having a liquid holding space, an opening through its bottom and a wall margining said opening and extending above the tray bottom to separate said opening and the liquid receiving space of the tray, the tray being formed in Sections between which said opening intervenes and having opposed face portions in fluid-tight assembly and terminating at said o emng.

In witness w ereof, I hereunto subscribe my name.

KENT W. BARTLETT. 

